1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to sporting equipment and more particularly, to a novel golf bag and golf equipment carrier formed into a single unitary bag including provisions for accommodating a variety of playing equipment and accessories normally employed in the game of golf.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the playing of the game of golf, it has been the customary practice to design, manufacture and sell a tubular golf bag made of a variety of materials, with a solid base and an open top or neck, through which golf clubs are inserted into the bag and out of which the heads and part of the shafts of the golf clubs protrude. The tubular design allows the clubs to be inserted and removed from the bag with ease, but results in the bag being bulky and awkward for transporting by car, van or airplane. Adding to the bulkiness of the conventional golf bag, are pockets sewn along the exterior of the bag for the purpose of storing golf shoes, jackets, balls, gloves etc. During play a tubular design of golf bag has the further disadvantage of resting on one pressure point of the body when carried over the shoulder adding discomfort and awkwardness.
For conventional golf bags it is not customary to enclose the opening at the top of the bag or to enclose the protruding golf clubs while playing. When it becomes necessary to transport or store the golf bag and golf clubs, or in the event of an unexpected rainfall, a separate hood attached to the bag as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,005,623-A may be placed over the top of the bag and the protruding golf clubs thereby enclosing the clubs. Alternatively, a full bag cover with an external handle may be used to enclose the entire bag and clubs for the purpose of transport or storage. Without a hood or full length cover, there is a risk that the golf clubs would fall out of the bag during transport and thereby become lost or damaged as a result of the golf clubs being exposed to adverse conditions. The limitation of covering the bag and clubs for transportation, storage, or in the event of rain, is that they are restricted to covering the existing traditional tubular shape bag by way of separate detachments.
Other attempts to fully enclose the golf bag for transport have been made. U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,789-A describes a golf bag which is a cylindrical shape bag moulded of rigid plastics enclosed by a semi cylindrical lid section hinged to the chest section. However, this latter approach and other similar innovations restrict construction to the traditional tubular or cylindrical shape, which are constructed of rigid plastics and rely on a hinge mechanism or a separate upper removable compartment to enclose the top of the bag and the protruding clubs and to reveal the club heads when unhinged or removed.
Therefore, a long standing need has existed to provide an alternative construction to the traditional configuration, such alterative design to have as its primary characteristics a unitary fully enclosed bag without hinges or compartments, which is flat sided rather than tubular providing uniformly distributed pressure against the side of the body of the golfer thereby adding comfort when carried over the shoulder, with minimal volume and compact shape for ease of play, transportation, storage and protection and with a convertible feature to allow use as a fully functional golf bag in play mode. The innovation described herein is a novel and unique approach which addresses each of these long-standing needs thereby overcoming the shortcomings of the traditional golf bag design and other more recent innovations.